


3 - Insomnia

by BubbaKnowlton



Series: Whumptober 2018 [Disko kid edition] [3]
Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Insomnia, M/M, Whumptober 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-29 06:18:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16258406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BubbaKnowlton/pseuds/BubbaKnowlton
Summary: Honestly, Ben thinks, it's like the Prophets are trying to kill their son. / Whumptober 2018-Her half brother stared up at her, clutching his plush aspth to his chest. When she didn’t say anything, the toddler entered and went up to her. He pressed against her legs, mumbling something she didn’t catch. She set her cup back down in the replicator so she could pick him up.“Joey, what are you doing up so late?”“Can’t sleep...”





	3 - Insomnia

**Author's Note:**

> i imagine hybrids have all sorts of problems, insomnia being one.  
> Note: an apsth is a bajoran reptile that's venomous and is basically a cross between a snake and a centipede

**3 - Insomnia**

Ziyal was just getting herself a cup of tea from her replicator in the middle of the night when her door chimed. Hardly anyone visited her, especially not so late at night, so she wasn’t sure who it could be. Nerys had never come over so late, and although she wouldn’t put it past Garak or her father to show up at 0100, she couldn’t think of a reason for them to.

“Come in!”

The door slid open, and for a moment she thought it was just a glitch, that no one had pressed the chime. Then she looked down.

Her half brother stared up at her, clutching his plush aspth to his chest. When she didn’t say anything, the toddler entered and went up to her. He pressed against her legs, mumbling something she didn’t catch. She set her cup back down in the replicator so she could pick him up.

“Joey, what are you doing up so late?”

“Can’t sleep...”

“But you look so tired!” He was pale, his ridges devoid of any of his usual happy coloring, and his eyes were puffy. He leaned his head against her shoulder and yawned. “Did you have a bad dream?”

“No. Can’t sleep. I keep waking up.”

“When was the last time you had a good night’s sleep?” He shrugged. “I had trouble sleeping when I was your age, too.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Father would hold me while he worked, since Cardassians don’t need as much sleep as Bajorans.”

“It helped you sleep?”

“Not really, but it felt nice. I’m finding it hard to fall asleep myself, tonight. Let’s stay up together. Just you, me, and Jackie.” She pet his head, and then his toy’s. “Does your dad know you can’t sleep?”

“He thinks I’m sick.”

“Well, if you’re anything like me, there’s no helping it. It’s because we’re hybrids. You could take sedatives, but Cardassians are prone to addiction, so you shouldn’t.”

“What’s addiction?”

“A sickness. It makes you rely on things too much, until it hurts.” Garak had warned her about addiction during one of their lunches, and Doctor Bashir had given him an odd look Ziyal hadn’t been able to describe. Perhaps he struggled with something, or once had.

“And a... sedative?”

“A medicine that makes you sleep. Using it too often makes you sick, and it doesn’t work very well.” He made a small sound, a quiet ‘ _hm._ ’ She walked over to her sofa and sat down. “What have you been doing when you can’t sleep?”

“I talk to Jackie.”

“He looks like a good listener.” She couldn’t understand why Jake had gotten their brother such a horrifying toy, but Joey loved it, for reasons Ziyal couldn’t understand. “When I can’t sleep, I like to paint. Do you want to try painting?”

“Okay.”

-

Joey dozed off a few times, but after ten minutes or so, he would jerk awake. Ziyal could see it was making him miserable, so she stayed up to keep trying to teach him to paint. He gave up on the brush and used his fingers. He got bored of it after a while, and she read him a few Bajoran children’s books. After they got bored of the books, they looked at different pictures on her padd of various Bajoran animals.

“That’s Jackie!” He pointed at the aspth on the screen. It was digging its jet black fangs into a baby hara cat. “What is it eating?”

“A hara kitten.”

“If Jackie was real, he would eat kittens?”

“...Yes.”

“Cool! I think he’d eat little voles, too. Dad would like that.”

Ziyal stifled a yawn, and then agreed, “I think everyone would like if Jackie ate voles.” As he looked up more animals to look at, she fell asleep. 

-

She startled awake when her door chimed. “Computer, time?”

“ _0630 hours_.”

A more reasonable time for a visit. “Enter.” Joey whined from where he was nestled against her, his plush still in his arms. She felt guilty for waking him up. “Shh, go back to sleep.”

“Ziyal, did you fall asleep on the sofa?” It was her father who entered the room, this time. He looked like he’d gotten a good night’s rest, unlike the both of them. “Joseph, I didn’t know you were with your sister.”

Joey sat up and rubbed his eyes, frowning. “I just fell asleep...”

“Sorry.” Ziyal rubbed his head. “Good morning, Father.”

As he neared them, he said, “You both look awful!” He lifted up Joey. “You look as though you haven’t slept in days. Benjamin told me not to disturb you when I arrived yesterday evening because you were sleeping. That was a lie, I see.”

Joey tucked his head under his father’s chin. “Tired...”

“Your sister had the same issue when she was your age. It’s nothing a quick sedative before bed can’t fix. You should take one too, Ziyal. Get a quick rest before Nerys comes looking for you.”

She really didn’t want either of them to try a sedative. “But-”

“I’ll go get one for you. I have some in my quarters. A half dose for you, Ziyal. A quarter dose should be good enough for your brother.”

Goodness, he never listened. “Father, wait-”

“I’ll look after him while you sleep. Come on, my dear, let’s go tell Benjamin you’re with me before he notices you’re not sound asleep in your bed.”

**Author's Note:**

> Follow/talk to me on Tumblr: @Oblio-k


End file.
